The Belize National Teachers Union (B.N.T.U.) is urging its members to attend a crucial national meeting on Wednesday morning. Despite the Ministry of Education denying their request for time off, B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz is pushing forward with the meeting. She’s calling on members to take a stand, even if it means a salary deduction for the day. The meeting’s purpose is for the union’s executive to present its list of demands to the Government of Belize, especially considering the recently approved salary increase for government CEOs and the Cabinet Secretary. Members will also be voting on the way forward, with strike action being one of the options on the table. Caliz shared detailed plans during her appearance on Open Your Eyes this morning, emphasizing the importance of unity and action.
Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.
“The bubbling pot, that is what I call it, because the pot is bubbling. It takes you all the way back to 2020 when the teachers experienced a salary cut and all of that. We do understand that during that time it was COVID, and the economy was not performing at the same level. They were given, because one of the promise was a bonus. They were given a hundred dollars one year, if the economy was doing good. So, we got that hundred dollars one year, one December, one time payment, that is it. Nothing else after that. Later on the unions lobbied with government and they had the reinstatement of ten percent, but on the heels of that you had social security deductions and other things. So you were not really getting anything. So when you have the news of CEOs getting that bumped up, they are asking me as their leader who says wait, we are at the negotiation table, we are getting this done, and you know what they said to me is that the only reason we are having patients is because you are new to the table. You have been there for a while, you think this is patients, we consider this to be disrespect.”
B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz emphasized that teachers are demanding an 8.5% salary increase. She pointed out that teachers have been patient for far too long and can no longer wait for the government to respond favorably, especially when salary increases are being approved in other sectors. Caliz made it clear that it’s time for teachers to receive the recognition and compensation they deserve.
Nadia Caliz
Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.
“My teachers want to see two things, those who are waiting for their salaries via the increments or a salary upgrade, they want their stuff. They want their stuff. Then you have everybody who is looking forward for that salary adjustment and it is for everybody just to cope with inflation.”
Paul Lopez
“What does an adjustment look like in this case?”
Nadia Caliz
“We are asking for a minimum of eight point five percent. I emphasize on the minimum. That is what we are asking for. If you are asking me for a total, I will respond just like Minister Usher, we got to go and do the numbers. Who feels it knows it and every time we ask for an adjustment that is the first thing they do, twenty C.E.O.s, five thousand teachers. That is what they show us. For us it is the principle. You have asked us to wait and understand the state of the economy and we have been trying to work with you.”
Responding to the Ministry of Education’s refusal to grant time off for the meeting, B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz made it clear that they don’t need the ministry’s approval. She urged members to take a stand by attending the meeting, emphasizing the importance of reaching a certain threshold of voters for the union’s mandate to be valid. Caliz accused the ministry of trying to frustrate the process, but she remains determined to push forward.
Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.
“For me now, while members are in my inbox and their branch leaders, we have to formalize and that is the reason for tomorrow’s meeting. I also want to tell my members, as you leader I am testing you out. You need to have the guts to come out and you have been screaming strike, strike, strike. But if you cannot come out tomorrow and vote, I want to know are you really ready for the strike you have been clamoring for. That is a test for me as a leader. Teachers are wondering if they will be duct. Teachers are wondering what will happen to their salary. So, when you come out and say you don’t approve it is for you to cut down the numbers and we definitely need to get one thousand, five hundred votes. So, it is a move to cut down. So if my members want something and they don’t give the mandate, because if we don’t get the mandate we cant move forward. They need to understand what is at stake here. While I am not in the classroom, I prefer to lose a day pay and gain more than to just sit there trying to protect that and suffer, suffer.”
Each year, the National Agriculture and Trade Show Committee selects a woman farmer of the year. This person needs to meet a list of criteria to even be considered for the prestigious recognition. Noemi Requena is the committee’s pick for 2025 and as we found out, she did not only meet the requirements but surpassed them. Requena, as we learned, is a full-time manager of a business, but for the past several years, she has been successfully juggling full-time employment with diversified farming, voluntarily training young farmers in sustainable farming techniques, while still looking after her family. She was happy to give us a tour of her farm when we visited on Saturday. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Noemi Requena
Noemi Requena, Woman Farmer of the Year, 2025
“Compost material – what I do, I practice a lot of composting, so I make my own compost.”
Marion Ali, Reporting
Noemi Requena of Punta Gorda is this year’s Woman Farmer of the Year. She attained that recognition by farming and managing a three-acre plot of land on an eight-acre ranch in Cattle Landing Village, a few miles out of the town. We visited Requena on Saturday, which was coincidentally her birthday. We found her busily caring for the crops and animals that she grows there.
Noemi Requena
“We would come early in the morning, sometimes at five in the morning and we start to water our plants. After finishing the watering, we feed our chickens, then our pigs, ensure the animals all the feed and water they need. We would harvest what needs to be harvested, then we start preparing beds to put in a new crop, different than what we had there.”
Requena farms on a three-acre plot of land, but she has an impressive line of crops that she harvests there.
Noemi Requena
“We have coconuts, plantain, banana, okra, tomato, I have protein banks for my livestock. I have the nacedero and I have the mulberry bank. I have sweet potato – the two varieties.”
The system of farming Requena uses is called “mixed farming,” rotating the spots.
Marion Ali
“Why is it important to rotate?
Noemi Requena
“Because the different crops that we have draw different amounts of nutrients from the soil. So you don’t want to be using the same nutrients on the same crop. For example, where I harvested corn, I’m going to plant beans. Why, because beans gives back legume nitrogen to our soil. If we give back the nutrients to our soil, we can use the same area over and over.”
This type of farming does not only keep the soil nutrient-rich but also promotes space efficiency.
Noemi Requena
“I constantly hear people say “Oh, I don’t have land. We need ten acres; we need 150 acres.” In my opinion and experience, we can produce food and make an income out of a small area, as I have.”
For her, the added income from her farm helps to educate her three children. The 2025 Woman Farmer of the Year is assisted by her common-law husband, Evan Williams, who also has a full-time job elsewhere. We found him plowing when we showed up and asked him thereafter to explain that process to us.
Evan Williams
Evan Williams, Common-law husband, Noemi Requena
“That job is necessary to aerate the soil and then loosen up the soil. So, the plants have no struggle getting it roots down, anchoring itself. We are preparing for yams. It’s better known as purple yams; iIt’s a tumor; it bears the fruit under the ground, so that’s why we are plowing the place, so if the soil is more loose, we get a bigger yield.”
About ten years ago, Requena earned a scholarship to take an agriculture course in the U.S. That was where she learned the basics of efficiently using the intercropping technique. Now she uses what she has learned to teach others during whatever spare time her full-time job, the family, and farming allows. A part of the farm system that Requena uses is solar-powered irrigation.
Noemi Requena
“We have a solar powered well, so we have two solar panels that pump our water from the well spot to the farm. And we have a small generator that gives us the pressure to be able to water our plants.”
Like with every other farmer, there are challenges that Requena faces. She must constantly find a way to naturally eliminate pests and to create proper drainage. And she uses all organic fertilizers that she also makes. A plus for her is that she uses pepper and cassava she harvests to make value-added products, such as pepper sauces and cassava dough. It is these kinds of efficient farming practices that the Director of Extension at the Ministry of Agriculture, Andre Mejia, told us impressed the judges who selected her for the award. He says Requena satisfied the rigorous criteria.
Andrew Mejia
Andrew Mejia, Director of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture
“The judges go there, they ask questions to ensure that that is the actual farmer. No one can be a farmer of the year if they’re not the actual farmer, or if the crops on the ground are not for them. The criteria calls that she must be making a percentage of income from the farm and what she wowed the judges with is all the activities that she has going on.”
Noemi Requena
“I want us to use this platform to encourage other females that yes, we can do whatever we put our minds to, and I relate it to us being mothers to care for the little plants. We are mothers, we care for our babies, and that is what our plants need. We transplant them with care, we see them grow and they give us fruit, food, which is life.”
Noemi Requena will be presented with her prizes as Woman Farmer of the Year at the National Agriculture and Trade Show, set for May 30, 31 and June 1. Reporting for News Five, I’m Marion Ali.
The National Agriculture and Trade Show is scheduled for May thirtieth to June 1st, and Belizeans from across the country are gearing up to offer amazing deals on their products. Booth space is in high demand—every slot available has eager vendors ready to grab it. But when applications come in too late, hopeful participants are placed on a waiting list, with the chance of getting in only if someone from the main list drops out. One of those hopefuls is Chef Tim August, known for his signature breadfruit fries. Breadfruit, a locally grown staple, is also a key ingredient in his new combo chip bags. Though his application missed the deadline, August believes his unique offerings deserve serious consideration for a spot at the show.
Tim August
Tim August, Chef
“I should be there. This is where we showcase what we have in Belize, not only phones and auto and this and that. I want to go there and you see, I have my product right here. I want to showcase what we can do with our cultural produce in Belize as opposed to just having them fall under the tree and rot.”
Marion Ali
What do you do?
Tim August
“Right now, I have an ital mix here, which is a mixture of sweet potato, plantain, cassava, coco fries, but breadfruit season will be in by the end of May, so I’m sure that I’ll be able to have some breadfruit to showcase at the National Agriculture Show. I really want to do it because it’s taking traction and I really want more Belizeans to start eating breadfruit because it’s local, it’s cheaper and it’s here in abundance. So we need to start using it more.”
Marion Ali
“But why would spacing not be an issue for you?
Tim August
“Well, I have a food truck, which is only 18 foot, and I’m sure that there’s a lot of grounds, but because of the sectioning and this and that, that they did, I believe, you know, they’d want to see if somebody else would come out, so they could put me in.”
Police are still investigating the shocking death of forty-seven-year-old Loran Radchenko. Witnesses say the street was chaotic after his body was found at the bottom of the Watermark Hotel, where he had rented a condo. Although Radchenko had been socializing at the hotel that night, friends confirmed he wasn’t a tourist. San Pedro residents say he had been living in Belize for about four to five years, owned a house, and ran a business here. We spoke with his girlfriend earlier today, who shared what kind of person he was before his tragic death.
On the Phone: Girlfriend of Deceased
“He’s a businessman. Everything that has to do with money, that’s his love. And he have a beautiful daughter and a wonderful son at the same time. What I could say is that he was so loving to everyone. There was nothing that I could say that anyone would ever say that he is a bad person. He was well known on the island and he was well known.”
Britney Gordon
“How long were you two together?”
Girlfriend of Deceased
“We have approximately three to four.”
Britney Gordon
“And I understand you both had children. How was he interacting as a blended family with you? What was that like to see him in that kind of dynamic?”
Girlfriend of Deceased
“He was a father that I would say is more than, more than anything. He treats everyone the same. All my kids and both of them the same. He doesn’t have favoritism.”
Britney Gordon
“And in terms of his personality, you mentioned that he was very loving. Would you say that’s how the random person that meets him on the street could remember him?”
Girlfriend of Deceased
“I mean, everyone. He could not even know you and he would be there for you as you say something. He will help you out. He was such a nice person. Just this Saturday when we were coming home from work together, he brought home at least five person minutes pickup that he didn’t even know just to give them a drop because it’s a long distance that they have to walk.”
The other tragic incident happened on Saturday, about three and a half miles north of San Pedro Town. Mexican national Hever Torres was working on the roof of a four-story building, using zinc sheets, when he fell through a weakened part of the roof. His colleagues rushed to help him, and emergency medical technicians were called to the scene. Sadly, Torres was pronounced dead at the Doctor Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic Two. ACP Hilberto Romero has more details.
“On Saturday, twenty-sixth day of April, 2025 police respondent to report in San Pedro where information received that the person that was working on a building had fallen to the ground. Police visited the area where they saw their lifeless body of Pedro Torres, a Mexican National with injuries, information that he was working at a building when he fell. His body was taken as awaiting a postmortem examination.”
Belmopan is mourning the loss of Skyler Williams, a beloved businessman who tragically died in a motorcycle accident on Saturday afternoon. Williams, thirty-four, was riding his motorcycle on George Price Boulevard with a female passenger when they collided with a van. The impact threw both off the bike, and sadly, Williams’ injuries were fatal. Known throughout the city as the life of the party and an exceptional chef, Williams’ death has left a void in the community. News Five’s Paul Lopez traveled to Belmopan to bring us more on this heartbreaking story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The sudden death of Skyler Williams, a thirty-four-year-old businessman from Belmopan, has deeply affected his community. Since his tragic passing in a traffic accident on Saturday, social media has been flooded with heartfelt condolences and memories of Williams. He was well-loved for his vibrant personality and culinary skills. Chantel Magdaleno-Petzold was one of the first to arrive at the scene near a grocery store on George Price Boulevard, just moments after the accident occurred.
Chantel Magdaleno-Petzold
Chantel Magdaleno-Petzold, First Responder
“I was trying to help with the young lady that got involved in the accident. He was just giving that young lady a ride. We were trying to calm her down because she was having a asthmatic attack and said she was asthmatic. She gave me some of the information of what happened. I walked back to Skyler, I still did not know it was him. His phone rang and I picked up the phone and saw a picture of him and I got hysterical. That dah my, not my blood brother. That is my brother. I stayed there with him. Mr. Simpson was also on the scene and we calmed him down. We stayed there for about fifteen or twenty minutes before the police came. The ambulance came about ten minutes after the police came, so we was laying on the ground for about twenty to thirty minutes before aid was rendered to him.”
Williams was driving his motorcycle along with a female passenger when they crashed into an oncoming van. Police say that an investigation is underway.
“Police visited the area where the saw a motorcycle and a van with damages. Information is that a motorcycle being driven by Skyler Williams who had a passenger with him, and the van was being driven by Terresa Reyes, at some point the collided. Skyler Williams was taken for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries.”
Chantel Magdaleno-Petzold
“She said he was giving her a ride, taking her home and they were taking her into the Chinese to go to the store and the van was coming and I guess he was tyring to beat the turn before the van.”
Skyler Williams was cherished for his joyful personality and remarkable cooking skills. He made his living by catering delicious food to his customers. His mother, Danette Elijio, shared with News 5 that she taught Skyler how to cook when he was just ten years old.
On the Phone: Danette Elijio, Mother of Deceased
“Skyler was the first child to bless my womb. The one who gave me the title of mother. He was a uniquely talented individual, a gift that kept on giving even unto his last breath. At ten years old, I thought my son to cook and while he was growing up, often times we would get together on Sunday and share cooking skills. As he grew up he loved creative arts and did that best in his kitchen.”
Williams’ cousin, Gabriel Ramirez, shared similar sentiments about him.
Voice of: Gabriel Ramirez
Voice of: Gabriel Ramirez, Cousin of Deceased
“Skyler was a people person. I got a little money and we were about to, because Skyler is a food person. Everyone knows him as a food person. When people hear Skyler food they rush it because it is always quality and best. How he passed, the amount of people that show support for him that shows the kind of guy he was. I want to tell we Belmopan people, we lost a legend in Belmopan and I want to ask my people to remember him for the good ways he treated people.”
Petzold says he fought to the very end. But ultimately the injuries he sustained proved to be fatal.
Chantel Magdaleno-Petzold
“Skyler is a fighter and he fought for his life before they took him to that hospital. I stayed there until they took him to the stretcher. They got him ready to put him in the ambulance, put the neck brace on his neck. I stay there and I spoke to him. I said, Sky it is Chants. Stay there and fight, fight for your life we are getting help for you. I spoke to him. Skyler dah love, to know Skyler is to love Skyler even with his rough edges.”
Skyler Williams leaves behind three children. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
This morning, a dump truck loaded with sand crashed into a drain off the George Price Highway. The truck was coming off Frank’s Eddy Road and onto the highway when its brakes failed. The driver managed to jump out of the moving truck, but his passenger wasn’t able to escape in time. We don’t have an official report on the incident yet, but we spoke with someone who witnessed the crash. Here’s what they had to say.
Richard Neal
Richard Neal, Eyewitness
“We mih the yah when all of a sudden we saw the truck coming. It came we heard something like the brakes or something. Next thing we heard the jake brakes and it could not hold it up. We know it would go straight in, especially how it had load. We see the driver jumped out and Adrian, when I already took him out, he told us that the door couldn’t open that is why he could not jump out. He said his hand was giving trouble and his shoulder so he probably dislocated his shoulder. We pulled him out, because it was like a side on position. So, we took him out and since we are tour guides we told him to go on the side and he just wouldn’t go on the side because the pain he was in. he got a big buss on his head. Even me, the position he was I thought his neck or hand broke but it was not that bad at least.”
Tonight, two men, one from Belize City and another from Roaring Creek, are free from murder charges. George Hyde, twenty-six, and Devaun Garcia, nineteen, were accused of the shooting death of eighteen-year-old Eaton Thompson. Hyde was twenty-three and Garcia was only sixteen when they were charged. Their murder trial came to an unexpected end when the crown counsel dropped the case in the middle of the trial. The reason? He couldn’t locate his key witness, whose testimony was crucial. On April fifteenth, the crown called two witnesses to testify about the difficulties police faced in finding the witness, despite visiting his work and home. Two weeks ago, the crown requested one more adjournment. Today, defense attorney Simeon Sampson, who represented Garcia, was ready to challenge the admissibility of the witness’s statement. He expected the crown to try to enter the witness’ statement into evidence, but instead, they dropped the case. At around 2:15 this afternoon, the crown counsel informed the court they would discontinue the case against Hyde and Garcia. Justice Candace Nanton released the men but reminded them that it does not mean an acquittal. She warned that the murder charges could be reinstated at any time. Sampson explained that the crown’s witness had given police two statements. In the first, he claimed he saw Garcia and Hyde shoot Eaton Thompson while riding his bicycle. Six months later, he recanted, saying he was forced to give the first statement. Eaton Thompson, a resident of Mahogany Heights, was sent to buy tacos for his mother but was tragically gunned down that morning and never made it back home.
